Pa. Turnpike expects heavy Independence Day traffic

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission expects more than 2.7 million vehicles to be traveling the Turnpike over the July 4 holiday.

That figure is up from the 2.5 vehicles seen last year. With that volume of traffic expected, the PTC is asking motorists to stay alert and be aware of distracted drivers.

In preparation for the surge of traffic, Turnpike maintenance crews plan to maximize the use of the roadway by opening all available lanes to traffic beginning at 3 p.m. June 27 through 6 a.m. July 7 except in the case of emergencies.

In the event of emergency-lane closures, the Turnpike will activate its variable message signs and highway advisory radio to alert motorists.

As the holiday traffic increases, so will the patrols by the Pennsylvania State Police, which plans to have troopers out enforcing speed limit and no-texting laws.

Motorists traveling the Turnpike can dial *11 on their mobile phone in case of emergencies or deploy one of the call boxes on the shoulder. Be ready to provide your specific milepost location to the dispatcher when calling *11.